The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-08-25

charge that the farmers are swindled. II
should not be made unless known to be
true.
The report of the comptroller general
Tor last year (page 100) gives statement
OF the State taxes, the only source from
which comes the appropriations for the
College and the Citadel. From this re.
port Is taken the following summary:
Total State funds from
taxation, royalty, Ii
censes, &c. S766 40
Taxes paid by railroads,
real estate in cities
and towns, personally
IN Charleston and Co
umDla. a............$ .$208,9OS
Phosphate royalties. . 10000
Incense ices. ........ 1896
BAL from other sources $4o9, ,oO4
This balance, about 4G per cent. of the
total revenue, includes not only taxes
paid by farmers, but all country prop.
erty, and all personally in towns and
cities outside of Columbia, owned by
others than farmers. These would offset
the taxes paid by farmers under other
heads. Scarcely y q pound of river rock
Is used IN South Carolina and the royal
ty is, therefore, paid by the mining
companies or by foreign consumers.
Ihls statement is sufficiently accurate to
show that the farmers do not pay three
fourths Of the taxes.
There are so many better reasons than
tins why farmers should have full con-
slderation that they can we'll afford to
dispense with it,
In the second part of the sentence
quoted the writer is again in error; for
as neither the College nor the Citadel
contains special department in THEOLOGY
or in medicine, it cannot be said that
tho state ''cducates preachers and doc
tors, unless the writer means that a
general literary, scientific and polite
culture is intended for preachers, doc
alone, and that farmers
ought not derive any ad-
--efrom. He could not con-
:, .Ao any such position SO un-
Just to the farmer and his son. Even
were there no technical agricultural in
sstructlon in the College, the sons of
farmers would still enjoy in common
with all others that general training
winch Is of the utmost Importance in
enapllpg Its possessor to enter into this
herce intellectual competition now racing
throughout the civilized world, the want
OF which training compels the farmers
son or anybody else's son to take back
seat or be run over.
But the State does much moro. Not
onl y giving tho tanners son that broad
culture he cannot secure in q low grade
specialized school, she provides for him
separate department, in which he can
also obtain special technical, practical
training. Students who desire to be-
come lawyers are shrewd enough gen
orally to take thorough academic
course and finish off in the law depart
ment, and farmers sons should at least
receive the same kind Of prepnratory
training III order to fit them to cope with
these alleged "encmies Of their race"
Again, as military training is one of
the features in all separate agricultural
colleges, the Citadel should not be re-
Viled for training "soldicrs."
AS 1T is still Il mooted question what
constitutes practical agricultural edu-
cation, it can only be argued, not
proven, whether this State gives such or
not. But the fact is that the plan of
education provided by South Carolina is
IN Re same line as that given by twenty
iour States in the Union, and its legality
Is recognized by Congress, by Legisla-
lures Of States, and by large majority
OF the people of the Union.
Ihe charge that the farmers son can
not obtain practical mechanical educa-
Clon can be directly disproved, Thirty
or 1orty students during the past veal
nave been engaged in the workshons 0i
me south Carolina College, and when
trey shall have completed their coursc
Vhey Will know more about ordinary
WOOD and iron work than many of the
carpenters and blacksmiths in the State
besides being thoroughly trained in me-
chanlcal drawing and in the theory NJ
machinery, Mnematics, mechanical
technology, &c. 1t is question of taste
Whothcr 1T is better for the farmers son
or lawyers, or doctors, or preacber's
son to pay money in college to learn
now to fork manure, cut wood and cbon
cotton, without knowing how to handle
tools, or to permit him to acouire tho
details or unskilled labor at home, and
learn at college how to frame buildings,
weld tires, sharpen ploughs, rig up ma.
chncry and do other skilled Operations
which would otherwise entail q loss OF
time and money.
The Mississippi College pursues the
former course; the South Carolina the
latter. Manual labor is required in both
places, the only difference being that the
South Carolina College gives that train.
ing which cannot be given at home,
while the Mississippi College, during its
sovcn years Of existence, has taken no
steps to give instruction in the use of
tools, or other skilled mechanical labor.
AS already said there arc between thirty
end forty students in the South Carolina
oohege acquiring this practical mechan-
tIn tGal training. The charge, then, that
: !lle larmer's son cannot secure this train
ing must be charitably ascribcd to shecl
ignorance, but to ignorance hardly OK.
cus3able, since half hours visit to tb,
Coue8e or five minutes porusal of it.
'at@al9gue wo9ld have diapelled it. d.